VILLANOVA, Pa. -
The Villanova women's soccer team kicks off the 2014-15 academic year this Friday, August 22nd when they host the Drexel Dragons at the newly renovated Higgins Soccer Complex. Game time is slated for 4:30 p.m. and marks the NCAA Division I opening day for women's soccer across the country. Admission to the contest is free of charge.

Villanova This Season: The Wildcats enter this weekend with a fresh slate and are looking to make a statement in their opening contest following the December hiring of new head coach Fran Kulas. Villanova returns 18 letterwinners and eight starters from the 2013 squad that finished with an overall record of 6-10-3 and a conference mark of 3-5-1. Villanova advanced to the first round of the BIG EAST Championship in 2013 for the second-straight year but fell to the DePaul Blue Demons in the first round of conference playoffs.

Sophomore forward Katie Martin (Dallas, Texas) was tabbed as an All-BIG EAST Preseason selection and the Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the league in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Marquette nabbed the top spot while Georgetown was picked to finish second in the league. St. John's claimed both the Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

`Nova vs. Drexel: Friday will mark just the fourth meeting between the Dragons and Wildcats with the previous three meetings resulting in a 0-1-2 record for Villanova. The two schools battled to a 1-1 draw last season on August 30th while the Wildcats fell in the 2012 meeting, 2-1, on August 24th.

A Look at Drexel: The Dragons compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and finished the 2013 season with a 7-10-1 overall record with a 3-5-0 mark in conference play. In the 2014 CAA Preseason Coaches' Poll, Drexel was picked to finish seventh overall behind Hofstra, JMU, William and Mary, Northeastern, UNCW and Delaware. Senior Melissa Chapman was named to the 2014 All-CAA Preseason team while classmate Sam Greenfield received honorable mention laurels.